MP woman, 21, murdered by father, uncle for working outside, short hair: Police

Police said her father, Bhagwan Singh Yadav, and uncle, Santosh Singh Yadav, attacked and killed her after locking her mother and sister

A 21-year-old woman was allegedly murdered by her father and uncle in Gwalior district’s Dabra town on Monday because they objected to her working in another state, having short hair, and bringing a male colleague home whom she said was her ‘rakhi brother’.

The deceased was identified as Nandani Yadav who worked as a manager at a mall in Vijaypura city in Karnataka.

Police said her father, Bhagwan Singh Yadav, and uncle, Santosh Singh Yadav, attacked and killed her after locking her mother and sister in another room. While Bhagwan has been arrested, his brother, Santosh, is on the run.

“Nandani had returned home last week for ‘raksha bandhan’ with her ‘rakhi brother’ Mahendra Pandey who worked with her at the same mall,” said Saurabh Kumar, sub-divisional officer of police.

Tension had built up at the Yadav household over the weekend after Nandani returned home with Pandey last week. Neither the father nor the uncle had supported Nandani’s decision to work outside in the first place but she – a postgraduate student -- had managed to move to Vijaypura with her mother’s support.

On Monday, Bhagwan and Santosh again began to scold Nandani for her decisions.

“On Monday, the two accused first thrashed Nandani’s 17-year-old sister, who was planning to go out with her. They beat her up. Their mother intervened to save her. During the assault, the minor sustained injuries to her face and neck,” Kumar said.

Then they attacked Pandey who was injured but managed to run away. “The accused then attacked Nandani while scolding her for bringing shame to the family by keeping short hair and working in another state. They smashed her head against a wall and struck her repeatedly with a stick before being strangled to death,” Kumar added.

After the murder, Bhagwan and Santosh fled. Neighbours alerted by the screams and commotion informed the police and released the mother and sister from the locked room.

“An FIR has been registered for murder and voluntarily causing hurt against the accused. The uncle of the woman Santosh is absconding and police are trying to nab him. The villagers informed police that there was tension among family members for long time,” Shivam Singh Rajawat, Piccchore police station in-charge, said.

Police are also looking for Pandey to record his statement.

I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More